Chapter 5: The First Day Of School
It's starting to get late. The Calenti's leave the Bakers house and thank them for a nice evening and go home. The next few days go by pretty quickly. Jesse didn't beat up on David and Jake becuase he wanted to save his strength for footabll practice.
It's now the first day of school. Jake and David are attending Evanston Middle School together. And James and Mike are attending Evanston Elementary together. Jesse is going to Fairfield High School while Lorraine is going to Lakeside High School.
At Evanston Middle School Jake is showing David around when Cooper and Quinn go over to them.
"You know the drill Baker. Hand over all your money now or else." Cooper said to him.
Jake goes to give Cooper and Quinn his money and David stops him.
"What are you doing?" Jake asked him.
"I got this." David told Jake.
"Don't do anything stupid." Jake told him.
"Who me? Do something stupid?" David asked him.
"Baker hand over your money now!" Quinn yelled at Jake.
"Hey! Me and Jake were talking here." David said to him.
"David don't." Jake warned him.
"Jake you worry too much. We have a problem here guys. You want Jake to give up his money and I don't see that happening." David told them.
"We want you both to give us your money big mouth." Cooper told him.
"If there's something I hate in this entire world it's a bully. And you two seem like bullies to me. So either go away on your own or I'll make you two morons go away." David told them.
"Make us go away!" Quinn told David.
"I tried to warn you." David said to them.
David takes off his watch and hands it to Jake. Jake just looks at him. "Your move." David said to Cooper and Quinn. They go to beat up David at the same time and David handles himself pretty well. David was beating up both Quinn and Cooper. Jake decides to jump in and help David who had everything under control. A teacher breaks them up and sends them to the principal's office. They call Tom and Don.
In the principal's office Jake and David are in there waiting for their dads.
"Well Mr. Baker what is it this time?" Principal Harrington asked him.
"I got into a fight." Jake explained to her.
"Cooper and Quinn again?" Mrs. Harrington asked him.
"Yeah." Jake replied.
"And you are new here aren't you?" Mrs. Harrington asked David.
"Yes I am. I'm David Calenti." David said to her.
"And you also got into a fight with Cooper and Quinn?" Mrs. Harrington asked him.
"Yes I did. If there's one thing I can't satnd in this world it's a bully. And those two seemed like bullies to me." David said to her.
"I hate bullies also Mr. Calenti but, you don't see me picking a fight with them." Mrs. Harrington explained to him.
"Well you're an adult and can't hit kids. I on the other hand am a kid so I can hit bullies except for bullies that are girls." David then explained to her.
"Mr. Calenti we have a very low tolerence for fighting in this school. Since this is your first fight this year I'll let it slide this time but, next time you're suspended." Mrs. Harrington told him.
"Fair enough." David said to her.
"And Mr. Baker you knew how I fell about fighting so am going to suspend you for two days." Mrs. Harrington told him.
"Jake didn't do anything. He tried to break it up and got pulled into the fight." David said to her.
"Is this true Mr. Baker?" Mrs. Harrington asked him.
"Yes Mrs. Harrington that's exactlly what happened." Jake told her.
"Since I don't know who started the fight I only know that itinvolved Mr. Calenti, Cooper, Quinn and you Mr. Baker who was pulled into the fight trying to break it up if that's what the story is. I can't do anything about it." Mrs. Harrington told them.
Don and Tom now walk into the office. They sit next to their sons.
"Mr. Baker it's so nice to see you again." Mrs. Harrington said to him.
"Same here Mrs. Harrington." Tom said to her.
"You must be Mr. Calenti?" Mrs. Harrington asked Don.
"Call me Don. And you are?" Don asked her.
"Mrs. Harrington." She told him.
"What's the problem here?" Tom then asked her.
"David and Jake were involved in a fight with two other students today." Mrs. Harrington told them.
"Cooper and Quinn again?" Tom asked her.
"Yes. Now, David tells me Jake was pulled into the fight trying to break it up and had nothing to do with it. He said that it was only him, Cooper and Quinn who were fighting." Mrs. Harrington explained to them.
"You took on two guys at once?" Don asked David.
"Yeah." David said to him looking at the ground.
"That's my boy." Don said to David with a smile on his face.
Tom, Jake and Mrs. Harrington just stare at Don.
"Mr. Calenti you approve of your son fighting?" Mrs. Harrington asked him.
"I don't approve of fighting but, you gotta do what you gotta do." Don told her.
"Mr. Calenti I know that Mr. Baker coaches football which is a very violent sport, what do you do for a living?" Mrs. Harrington then asked him.
"I also coach football. And don't tell me that because I coach a violent sport my kids are going to be violent also." Don told her.
"Football is a violent sport and can lead to more violence if not probably handled." Mrs. Harrington explained to him.
"Mrs. Harrington forgive for saying this but, that's the biggest load of bullshit that I ever heard." Don told her.
"Mr. Calenti I don't approve of cursing either." Mrs. Harrington told him.
"I don't approve of cursing either but, sometimes you let one slip out." Don said to her.
"I never did that in my whole life." Mrs. Harrington told him.
"Not even when you stub your toe or jam your finger?" Don asked her.
"No." Mrs. Harrington replied.
"I don't believe that. Everyone curses when that happens even priest." Don said to her.
"Let's get back to our sons if you don't mind Don?" Tom asked him.
"That's a good idea Mr. Baker. Now since I was told thatJake wasn't involved I can't punish him. And since this is David's first fight in this school I'll let him off with a warning. You guys can go home now." Mrs. Harrington told them.
Don, David, Tom and Jake walk out of Mrs. Harrington's office and go to the parking lot.
"Jake you're grounded for two weeks." Tom told him.
"I didn't even do anything." Jake said to him.
"Jake you don't get pulled into a fight for trying to break it up." Tom said to him.
"But, that's what happened Mr. Baker." David said to him.
"David I appreciate you keeping Jake out of trouble with Mrs. Harrington but, I know he didn't get pulled into the fight. I know he jumped in to help you." Tom told him.
"David was doing fine on his own Dad." Jake said to him.
"Jake we'll discuss this with your mother when we get home." Tom told him.
Jake gets into his father's minivan and David gets into his father's Z.
"You're not going to punish David for fighting?" Tom asked Don.
"If he started the fight I'll ground him but, if he didn't I'm not going to." Don told Tom.
"You can't have a double standard on fighting." Tom told him.
"Well I do. And if you don't like it too bad." Don told him as he got into his car and drove off.
Tom gets into his minivan and drives Jake home.